VOLUME 3: COMMUNITY MAPPING GUIDE
CHAPTER 3 Mapping Fundamentals
Introduction to Mapping This first workshop is presented as an introduction to the concept of mapping. The intention is to get youth thinking about what meaning maps have in their lives and what sorts of things can be represented on a map. The purpose of this workshop is to identify the group’s objectives and aims, determine the initial level of understanding of mapping in the room, and create a plan for next steps around your topic. The first phase of this workshop will help you learn about how much the youth in your group understand about maps. Facilitate a discussion, starting off by asking how many people in the room have ever seen a map before. How many have seen a map of the community they live in or of their city? Has anyone ever used a map before? What did they use it for? This discussion can lead you to talk about how maps are used differently by different people around the world. Examples that may be relevant are maps of local water sources, a map of all the different recreation sites in a given area, or a city map showing all local government offices. The youth will learn throughout this discussion that anything of value that exists in space can be represented on a map. Where mapping was once only done by universities and big businesses, access to new technology now means that it is possible for anyone to map the space they live in. All that is left is for them to prioritize what they would like to map.
www.unhabitat.org
21